Portsmouth Super Stops

Bus stops are where most journeys begin, when they feel unsafe, inaccessible or neglected, confidence in the whole bus network suffers.

A public-private roadside renaissance

Bus shelters are often treated as functional assets but for passengers, they are the first point of contact with public transport. When they feel unsafe, unclear or uncared for, confidence in the entire network is undermined before the journey even begins.

Through a close partnership between Portsmouth City Council and Bauer Media Outdoor Portsmouth is reimagining what a bus stop can be, creating spaces that feel safer, more accessible, more connected and more worthy of the communities they serve.

A shared ambition for better journeys

Portsmouth’s transport ambition is clear: to make public transport a confident, reliable and appealing choice for more people, more often. Backed by the Department for Transport’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and a wider £53m investment, the city set out to modernise its bus network not just through routes and services, but through the everyday infrastructure passengers rely on.

This meant asking a simple but powerful question: What if bus stops were designed around people?

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Extending the life of bus shelters

Alongside the Super Stops, Portsmouth is delivering a citywide refresh of its existing bus shelter estate through our Revive program, ensuring the benefits of investment are felt consistently across the network.

Rather than replacing infrastructure unnecessarily, Revive focuses on refurbishment, reuse and lifecycle thinking, extending the life of shelters by up to 10 years and achieving a 94% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to manufacturing new shelters.

Sharing the learning

Portsmouth’s Super Stops programme isn’t just about delivery it’s about learning, collaboration and raising standards across the industry.

To share insights from the project, Portsmouth City Council, Bauer Media Outdoor and Campaign for Better Transport ran a live webinar hosted by Landor LINKS Ltd bringing together transport, infrastructure and placemaking professionals from across the country.

Watch the webinar to hear directly from the teams behind the project and explore what other local authorities can take from Portsmouth’s approach.